Press release

UNICEF speeds supplies to Grenada

Bridgetown, Barbados 16 July 2005 - UNICEF supplies arrived in Grenada today as the island continues to deal with the after effects of Hurricane Emily which impacted the island, especially the dependencies of Petite Martinique and Carriacou, almost thirty six hours ago.

Five thousand water purification tablets, five hundred collapsible water containers with a capacity of 10 litres; ten thousand Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS) tablets; ten emergency heath kits; one trauma kit and one refill for trauma kit and three survival kits with backpack were flown in today on a Red Cross aircraft to provide relief for persons affected by the Hurricane.

“The most difficult thing is that Grenadians are still in the process of recovering from Hurricane Ivan, which devastated the country almost ten months ago,” said Jean Gough, UNICEF Representative for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, who is presently in Grenada assessing the needs of children.

Reports confirm that one person in Grenada died as a result of the hurricane. Emily has caused an estimated $US110 million in damage and that the agriculture sector and housing are the main areas affected. 120 homes have been completely destroyed, 2240 homes have lost their roofs and to date 1650 are still residing in shelters across the island. The most required needs at present are plastic sheeting to cover roofs, building materials, foods and rafter straps.

UNICEF is focusing on ensuring that children’s lives return to some sense of normalcy as soon as possible and following a request from the Ministry of Social Development yesterday, the Office for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean will be implementing the Return to Happiness programme in Carriacou and Petite Martinique, in collaboration with other partners, in order to provide the necessary psycho-social support for all children affected by the Hurricane.